In a tragic incident, a stampede at the New Delhi railway station claimed the lives of at least 18 and injured several others on Saturday night.

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The ones who lost their lives include 11 women and five children, according to the Indian media reports.

The deceased were identified as Aaha Devi, 79, Pinky Devi, 41, Sheela Devi, 50, Vyom, 25, Poonam Devi, 40, Lalita Devi, 35, Suruchi, 11, Krishna Devi, 40, Vijay Sah, 15, Neeraj, 12, Shanti Devi, 40, Pooja Kumar, 8, Sangeeta Malik, Poonam both aged 34, Mamta Jha, 40, Riya Singh, 7, Baby Kumari, 24, and Manoj, 47.

Also read: PM Modi expresses distress over New Delhi Railway Station stampede that killed 18

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What led to the stampede?

The situation spiralled out of control due to delayed train departures and the sale of approximately 1,500 general tickets, which added to the already massive crowd, officials stated. Police reported that platforms 13 and 14 at New Delhi Railway Station were packed with passengers waiting to board the delayed Swatantrata Senani and Bhubaneswar Rajdhani trains. To make matters worse, the Prayagraj Express, a special train for Maha Kumbh, was scheduled to depart from platform 14 at 10:10 pm, further exacerbating the congestion.

Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northern Railway, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, on Sunday (Feb 16), said that a passenger who was rushing towards platforms 14-15 slipped and tumbled on the stairs causing a chain reaction that affected several other passengers standing behind him which led to the deadly stampede.

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He further said that the matter was being investigated by a high-level committee.

"When this tragic incident took place yesterday, at that time, Magadh Express going towards Patna was standing on platform number 14 of New Delhi Railway Station and Uttar Sampark Kranti going towards Jammu was standing on platform number 15. During this, a passenger coming towards platforms 14-15 slipped and fell on the stairs, and many passengers standing behind him were hit, and this tragic incident took place. This is being investigated by a high-level committee," Upadhyay stated.

"No train was cancelled, nor was there any change in platform... The incident is being investigated, so let the committee submit their report and findings. The situation at the platform is normal now. All trains are running at their usual time," he added.

Rs 10 lakh compensation announced for families of deceased

The Indian Railways announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh (12,060 USD) for the families who lost their lives in the stampede.

Additionally, a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh was also announced for the injured and Rs 1 lakh for the ones who sustained minor injuries.

The tragic incident took place at around 10 pm on Saturday (Feb 15) which claimed the lives of 18 people.

(With inputs from agencies)